Russia Hits Kyiv with Hypersonic Oreshnik Missile, Killing at Least 2

Early Sunday morning, Russia launched one of the biggest attacks on Kyiv since the war began — and it wasn't just a wave of drones. This time, Russia pulled out a weapon that's been raising alarms since it first appeared: the Oreshnik hypersonic ballistic missile.

Here's the scene: air raid sirens blared through the night, massive explosions rattled buildings across the Ukrainian capital, and fires broke out across the city. By morning, the scale of the damage was staggering.

The attack involved an almost incomprehensible amount of firepower. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia fired 600 drones and 90 missiles at Ukraine overnight. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 549 drones and 55 missiles — a remarkable effort — but plenty still got through. Damage was recorded in 40 locations across multiple districts of Kyiv, hitting residential buildings, schools, government offices, and even cultural institutions. Ukraine's culture minister confirmed the attacks destroyed the largest number of cultural sites in Kyiv since Russia's 2022 invasion — including the museum dedicated to the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which was completely destroyed, and one of the city's oldest markets, which burned to the ground.

At least two people were killed and 77 injured in the attack, which included the use of a powerful hypersonic ballistic missile called the Oreshnik, which is capable of carrying a nuclear warhead. The Oreshnik — which translates to "hazelnut tree" in Russian — struck Bila Tserkva, a city about 50 miles south of Kyiv. This was the third time Russia has fired the weapon since the full-scale war began.

So why does the Oreshnik matter so much? In short: it's almost impossible to stop. Putin himself has described it as traveling at Mach 10 — ten times the speed of sound — "like a meteorite," capable of destroying underground bunkers several floors deep. U.S. officials classify it as an intermediate-range missile that can carry multiple conventional or nuclear warheads. Ukraine's intelligence says each missile carries six warheads, each loaded with six submunitions — meaning one missile can scatter destruction across a wide area.

Here's the context you need: this attack didn't come out of nowhere. Putin ordered the strike in retaliation for a Ukrainian drone strike on a college in Starobilsk, a Russian-occupied town, which Russia says killed at least 21 people. Ukraine denies targeting the college, saying it struck a military drone unit in the area. And crucially, this massive assault came just days after Ukraine and its Western allies were reportedly making progress on a potential peace framework — making the timing feel very deliberate.

Zelenskyy actually warned citizens in advance that the Oreshnik might be coming, citing U.S. and European intelligence. The warning was real, and so was the strike.